On 21 September 2009, Bhutan was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was in East Bhutan and affected 10 neighbouring districts. As well as damaging around 4,000 homes the earthquake damaged over 100 schools, affecting about 14,000 schoolchildren. The earthquake caused structural damage to classrooms, and water and sanitation facilities were destroyed.

The United States has resettled as many as 60,000 Bhutanese refugees since the start of the resettlement process in 2007.

The 60,000th Bhutanese refugee departed to the US from Nepal on Tuesday (September 4). A 28-year-old refugee woman flew to Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and young daughter to start a new life there, the US embassy informed.

The US, in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), began resettling Bhutanese refugees residing in eastern Nepal in 2007.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Bumper cereal harvest is estimated for 2011

• Prices of rice and wheat remain stable

• Food insecurity persists in certain districts

Bumper cereal harvest is estimated for 2011

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Link: Asia Pacific: Himalayan Earthquake Information Bulletin No. 1

The UN has welcomed a decision by Bhutan to finalize the Model Customs Facilitation Agreement, a bilateral agreement allowing the expedition of aid to the country in the event of a disaster. The international humanitarian community considers this as a major step forward in strengthening preparedness and a pioneering initiative for others in the region.

Bhutan’s vulnerability to natural disasters led the Government to prioritize the rapid deployment of international aid in emergency situations by lowering customs barriers.

The number of Bhutanese refugees resettled in third countries as per the resettlement plan of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reached 48,763 as of July 15, according to the UNHCR.

Most of them – 40,971 - have been resettled in various states of the United States of America (USA).

Likewise, 3,215 have been resettled in Canada, 2,720 in Australia, 563 in New Zealand, 483 in Denmark, 372 in Norway, 228 in Netherlands, and 111 United Kingdom.

BELDANGI CAMP, Nepal, June 22 (UNHCR) – Conditions might be relatively tough in eastern Nepal's Beldangi refugee camp, but for the past week or so the children there have been walking around with big happy faces.

The secret of their happiness lay in 41 large boxes that arrived in the camp earlier this month after being sent all the way from France's Quai Branly Museum, which specializes in primitive and indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Outlook for 2011 winter wheat is favourable.

• Cereal production in 2010 recovered from poor harvest in 2009.

• Pockets of food insecurity persist.